Mama will be back

Somehow hospital days give the boys great impetus. The longer they are without their father, the more they seem to develop themselves - a simple survival mechanism that is fascinating to watch. Yesterday we visited Kenji in the hospital and he noticed it too: Big Brother and Little Brother grow in so many ways.

I need to take out the trash and don't want to tag the boys along. They are playing peacefully with their kitchens, so I suggest I do it quickly by myself and be back in a minute. "O.K.", they both reply tough. Yet the minute I close the front door I hear Little Brother cry. Still I take the elevator downstairs and fully place my trust in Big Brother. The hospital days make me grow too, I realize.

When I enter the hallway again, Little Brother runs in my arms. His eyes are red from crying. I wonder how he managed to get them so red, while I was only gone for two minutes or so? "Mama", Big Brother starts explaining, "Little Brother missed you. He cried and then I told him 'You just wait right here and mama will be back reálly soon'. And that helped."
I couldn't be more proud. Over the months I've been telling my boys how I will never leave them - and that even when I'm away for a couple of hours, I'll always return to them.

My words are heard. And it comforts me tremendously that each of the boys has the most loving brother in the world.